Privacy Policy

Docbraces Privacy Policy

This document sets out the privacy policies and practices of the Docbraces team.

The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform our customers, patients and other individuals we deal with (“you” or “your”) how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information, including information through this website. In this policy, “personal information” means any information about an identifiable individual, as more particularly described under applicable privacy legislation and includes “personal health information” (as discussed further below). This policy applies to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information in Canada. This policy does not apply to information about our employees or to information that is not personal information.

Personal Information We Collect

Docbraces and its agents and representatives collect personal information through this website, directly from you or a person acting on your behalf, and in a number of other circumstances in order to provide orthodontic, dental and other services to patients, customers and members of the public.

ordering and shipping information, including order details and history about rewards provided through the “My Rewards Hub” section of our website;

insurance information, credit card, payment history or other financial information;

demographic and profile data;

information about an individual’s preferences and feedback on our products and services; and

such other information we may collect with your consent or as permitted or required by law.

If you are a patient, we may also collect “personal health information” (a sub-category of personal information, as defined and described under applicable privacy legislation) directly from you or from the person acting on your behalf in order to provide orthodontic and dental services. Occasionally, we may also collect personal information about patients from other sources, such as a referring dentist or insurance company, if we have obtained the patient’s consent to do so or if the law permits.

Use of Personal Information

Docbraces generally uses personal information for the following purposes:

as is reasonably required to provide the requested services, products, or information, including as follows:

To respond to your specific question or concern (such as if you request a free consultation through our website);

To deliver orthodontic and dental care to patients, including health assessments and treatment options;

To establish and maintain communication with patients and potential patients, including to gather and distribute health information and to book and confirm appointments;

To allow us to efficiently follow-up for treatment, care and billing;

To communicate with other health-care providers, including specialists and general dentists;

To comply with dental regulatory requirements, including delivery of patients’ charts and records to the relevant dental regulatory college when required;

To complete and submit orthodontic and health service claims for third party adjudication, pre-approval and payment;

Docbraces may use personal information for additional purposes that may be identified at or before the time that the information is collected, or as required by law. Docbraces will retain the personal information so long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy or as required or permitted by law.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

Each Docbraces clinic, which is operated by your individual orthodontist, usually through his or her professional orthodontic corporation, may share your personal information with Canadian Orthodontic Partners ULC, and its affiliates, which provide practice administration, billing and collection, record management, marketing and other practice management support services to Docbraces, as well as with other non-affiliated service providers. Sharing of personal information between these entities is strictly for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Docbraces may also disclose personal information:

to other health care providers, insurance carriers, third party collection agencies and regulatory authorities to deliver dental and orthodontic services, ensure patient safety and appropriate treatment, process and submit claims for reimbursement or payment, and comply with health regulatory requirements;

to legal, financial, insurance and other advisors in connection with the sale, reorganization or management of all or part of its business or operations;

as consented to by an individual from time to time, including to fulfill any other purposes that are identified when the personal information is collected; and

as necessary to meet other legal, regulatory, insurance, audit and security requirements, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Docbraces will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with an individual’s consent or as required or permitted by law.

Docbraces may transfer personal information to outside agents or service providers, including affiliates of Docbraces acting in this capacity, that perform services on our behalf, for example information technology services, data hosting/processing, business analysis, or similar services, or otherwise to collect, use, disclose, store or process personal information on our behalf for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Some of these service providers or affiliates may be located outside of Canada, including in the United States, and your personal information may be collected, used, disclosed, stored and processed in the United States or elsewhere outside of Canada for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and will become subject to legal requirements of these jurisdictions, for example lawful requirements to disclose personal information to government authorities in those countries.

Our Website

Docbraces collects certain information automatically through our website. We use web server logs to collect information such as the IP address associated with the computer or device you used to access our website, the dates and times of access, how long you stayed on a certain page, the type of operating system your computer or device has, the search term you entered or link you clicked to bring you to our website, and the websites you went to when you left our website. We also use third-party analytics tools and targeted behavioural advertising to help us measure website traffic and usage trends. This information is used to administer our website, track user movements, and gather demographic information for internal use such as statistical assessments, website improvement and improving user experience.

We also use cookies to remember information about your activities and preferences on our website. We use this information to make your visits more enjoyable and valuable to you by providing a customized experience and recognizing your preferences when you visit our website. Cookies are small bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may configure your browser settings to block cookies or to notify you when a cookie is set. If you’ve chosen to block cookies, some of the functionality of our website may be lost.

We have included links on this website to third party sites, including third party social media sites, for your use and reference. These third party sites are not subject to this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for, and have no control over, the personal information handling practices of these websites.

From time to time, Docbraces may offer interactive services which allow you to share information with other users on this website, such as message boards, user reviews, and payment calculators. By submitting such information, you represent: (a) that you consent to the collection, retention and public disclosure on the website; and (b) that you have obtained the same consent from any other individuals, as applicable.

Your Consent

Consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information may be given in various ways. Consent can be express (for example, orally, electronically or on a form you may sign describing the intended uses and disclosures of personal information) or implied (for example, when you provide information necessary for a service you have requested). You may provide your consent in some circumstances where notice has been provided to you about our intentions with respect to your personal information and you have not withdrawn your consent for an identified purpose, such as by using an “opt out” option provided, if any. Consent may be given by your authorized representative (such as a legal guardian or a person having a power of attorney). Generally, by providing us with personal information, either through our website or directly, we will assume that you consent to our collection, use and disclosure of such information for the purposes identified or described in this Privacy Policy, if applicable, or otherwise at the time of collection.

You may withdraw your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information at any time, subject to contractual and legal restrictions and reasonable notice. Note that if you withdraw your consent to certain uses of your personal information, we may no longer be able to provide certain of our products or services. Note also that where we have provided or are providing services to you (including dental and orthodontic services to you as a patient), your consent will be valid for so long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or otherwise at the time of collection, and you may not be permitted to withdraw consent to certain necessary uses and disclosures (for example, but not limited to, maintaining reasonable business and transaction records, disclosures to Canadian and foreign government entities as required to comply with laws, and reporting on credit information after credit has been granted, if applicable).

Docbraces collects, uses and discloses your personal information with your consent, except as permitted or required by law. We may be required or permitted under statute or regulation to collect, use or disclose personal information without your consent, for example to comply with a court order, to comply with local or federal regulations or a legally permitted inquiry by a government agency, or to collect a debt owed to us.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information using physical, electronic or procedural security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information in our custody or control, which may include safeguards to protect against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Authorized employees, agents and mandataries of Docbraces who require access to your personal information in order to fulfil their job requirements will have access to your personal information.

Access, Correction and Contacting Us

An individual may contact the Privacy Officer using the contact information provided below to modify or correct any of his or her personal information that is under Docbraces’ control, or to request access to that information. An individual may also direct a written complaint regarding compliance with this Privacy Policy to the Privacy Officer. Your right to access or correct your personal information is subject to applicable legal restrictions and we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or Docbraces’s collection, use, disclosure or retention of personal information, please contact the Privacy Officer as follows:

If you are dissatisfied with the manner in which we have addressed your request for access or correction to your personal information or if you have general concerns about our privacy practices, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in your province, whose contact information can be found here:

Privacy Policy Changes

This Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time. If we intend to use or disclose Personal Information for purposes materially different than those described herein, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals, if necessary, including by revising this Privacy Policy. If you are concerned about how your personal information is used, you should contact us as described above or check our website periodically at https://docbraces.com/privacy-policy/ to obtain a current copy of this policy. We urge you to request and review this Privacy Policy frequently to obtain the current version. Your continued provision of Personal Information or use of our services following any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of any such changes.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of November, 2017.

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